Matt Messinger (b. 1974)

Matt Messinger is based in Houston, Texas. He is best known for paintings which incorporate matte surfaces with symbolic images, generally in black and white. Meticulous fabric collage - often layered from found household linens or flour sacks – creates a neutral ground which accentuates the flatness of the painting surface. Subtle patterns of drips and graffiti simultaneously create an illusion of spacial depth, contradicting this flatness. It is within this field that Messinger combines visual quotations from popular culture, scientific diagrams, or animals – real and imagined. Messinger's paintings mix serious ideas and icons with lighthearted techniques and imagery. Messinger enjoys symbolism and can be inspired by anything from logos, advertisements and animals, something simple as a number, or as subtle as a texture. Messinger scavenges pop detritus with an eye to nostalgia, humor, and subtle irony.

Education

Associates of Applied Science, Art Institute of Houston, TX

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2011, Found, Debra Colton Gallery, Houston, TX

2013, New Paintings, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2014, Stack, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2015, Cluster, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2017, Argus, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2019, Bestiary, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

Selected Group Exhibitions

2009, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

2011, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

2011, Use Your Illusion, Debra Colton Gallery, Houston, TX

2012, Table Top, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2012, Summer, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2012, Ink+Graphite+Paint, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2013, Color Vision, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2014, Selections, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2015, Mixed Doubles, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2015, Go Big, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2015, Inherent Palette, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2015, Winter Exhibition, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2016, Five Sculptors, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2018, Two man show with Peter Healy, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX

2019, Joy of Painting, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2019, Exquisite: Works on Paper, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX

2019, Studio E, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX

2021, Solitude in Bloom, two-man show with Peter Healy, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX

Honors and Awards

o 2011, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (Finalist Winner)

o 2017, Argus, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX (Glasstire’s Top 5 in Texas)

o 2019, Bestiary, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX (Glasstire’s Top 5 in Texas)

Matt Messinger

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